Envelop.



D. ALEXANDER.

ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 29, 1910.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Elma/MM fian'aA/axmwer x a $11 a I coLumnA PLANOGRAPH c0, WASHING c.

DAVID ALEXANDER, OF HOMINY, OKLAHOMA.

ENVELOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed December 29, 1910. Serial No. 599,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hominy, in the county of Osage, State of Oklahoma, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelope; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to envelops of the class constructed to preventsurreptitious access or to envelops so constructed that any attempt toopen the same by unauthorized persons will be disclosed, and has for itsobj ect to improve the construction and increase the efficiency andutility of devices of this character.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction as hereafter shown and described and thenspecifically pointed out in the claim, and in the drawings illustrativeof the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a view of theenvelop in closed position. Fig. 2 is a section enlarged on the line 22of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the locking member detached.Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the receiving member detached.

The improved device may be applied to envelops of various forms, but forthe purpose of illustration, is shown applied to a conventional envelopin which 10 represents the body portion and 11 the closure or sealingflap. The closure flap is provided with the usual adhesive materialindicated at 12, whereby the envelop may be sealed in the usual manner.Attached to the point of the closure flap 11 is a locking bar 13 ofsuitable metal and fastened by lateral points or spurs 14 to the flap11, with its free end extending beyond the point of the flap andprovided with a return bend 15 at its terminal.

Secured within the body of the envelop adjacent to the terminal of theflap 11 is a receptacle 16, preferably in flat box-like form and with arelatively narrow slit 17 in one end to receive the portion 15 of themember 13. Secured within the receptacle 16 is a transverse bar 18beneath which the point of the member 15 engages when the member 13 isforced into the receptacle as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be obviousthat when the member 13 with its return bend or barb-like terminal 15 isinserted into the casing 16 and the point of the member 15 expandsbeneath the cross bar 18, it will be impossible to withdraw the member13 without destroying some portion of the device, and thus revealing thefact that the envelop has been tampered with.

With an envelop thus constructed it will be obvious that after thecontents have been deposited therein and the adhesive edges of the flap11 moistened, the envelop may be securely sealed and locked by insertingthe barbed end 15 of the member 13 into the slit 17 of the member 16 andforcing the same downwardly until the barbed end ongages beneath the bar18, and pressure applied to the adhesive edges of the flap, and it willbe impossible to open the envelop without detection, as will be obvious.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be inexpensivelymanufactured and applied to envelops of various sizes and forms and toenvelops constructed from various materials, and it is not desiredtherefore to limit the improved device to any particular size or form orto envelops employed for any particular purpose. The member 16 will bearranged within the envelop and a cleft formed through the body portion10 opposite the opening 17 to admit the barbed terminal of the member 15of the member 13. The member 13 and its barb 15 may be of any suitablemetal, but preferably of brass or other non-corrosive metal.

What is claimed, is

The combination with an envelop provided with a sealing flap, of ametallic locking bar fastened to the outside of the flap, one endportion of the bar projecting beyond the flap and terminating in anupwardly bent hook portion, a box-like member secured inside the envelopat a point adj acent the terminal of the flap when the latter is closed,said box-like member having a slot in the end thereof adjacent to theenvelop flap, said slot being designed to re- In testimony whereof, Iafiix my signacelve the ad acent portlon 0f the locklng ture, 1npresence of two wltnesses. bar, and an lnchned cross bar extendlng r T 1transversely Within the box-like member and DAVID ALEAAL 5 adapted toreceive the hook of the locking Vitnesses: I

bar andadapted to act as a keeper for the W. C. GROVE, latter. CHARLESLLARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

